Hundreds of people rallied around Vance Monument in downtown Asheville Aug. 13 to oppose white supremacists and other hate groups and to support the people of Charlottesville, Virginia.(Photo: COURTESY OF CONNOR BURCHETT)

These are tense times in the Republic. If we want to keep it, which as Franklin Roosevelt suggested might at times be a test of our collective will, we have got to recognize insidious dangers to our country, and disavow them – forcefully.

Ideally that "we" would start with the highest office in the land. That is, after all, the most basic function of strong leadership.

But President Donald Trump's belated and initially lukewarm reaction to the violence and hatred exhibited in Charlottesville over the weekend made clear that Americans must move forward with our own collective conscience, with or without the White House’s stamp of disapproval.

This week America caught a frighteningly illuminated glimpse of the modern faces of white nationalism, the KKK and neo-Nazis, groups which often overlap but always have one thread in common: hate.

The premise of these groups goes against the very fiber of our American experiment: equality for all people. Yes, we’ve had a tortured history in trying to achieve this ideal, but we’ve also made tremendous progress.

These hate groups want to turn back time, foment discord and pretend that they are somehow superior to those with darker pigment in their skin.

Simply put, they bend toward the darkness in men’s souls.

We must bend to the light. We should not have to call out such an obvious fallacy, a philosophy that only tears down and never builds up, but it has become obvious in our current political climate that this is absolutely necessary.

These hate groups’ appeal to darkness is in no way equivalent to the movement disavowing these groups. One touts hate and relies on fear and intolerance. Those who disavow stand for acceptance, basic decency and progress.

It is incumbent on every decent American to be clear at this point in history that such hatred and intolerance will never be accepted in this country. Fortunately we have many such decent Americans in our own community, including our mayor and governor, who showed up and spoke out this week in no uncertain terms.

Yes, we all need to stand against violence, but we all first must acknowledge that racial hate is the real enemy, and only one side is promoting that.

We all must disavow these people who have embraced hate, and we must do so publicly and forcefully -- including and most importantly our political leaders, who for good or bad set the tone in this country.

This is not a time for nebulous, carefully crafted responses that may send a tacit message of approval to sick individuals who foment ugliness.

If the source of evil doesn't know it has been condemned, then who, exactly, does that condemnation serve?

Among the most chilling and illuminating responses to the President's words came from The Daily Stormer, a white supremacist website.

“He didn’t attack us,” the website claimed, about Mr. Trump’s statement after two days of racist demonstrations. “Refused to answer a question about White Nationalists supporting him. No condemnation at all. When asked to condemn, he just walked out of the room. Really, really good. God bless him.”

It is a time for bold repudiation, specific denunciation of hate groups and a strong message that will not allow hate to spread its evil seed. It is the absolute least we can do now.